


Morning After

by Tangrisha



Series: Behind Masks [3]
Category: The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 10:38:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18871516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangrisha/pseuds/Tangrisha
Summary: After every ball night, morning comes...





	Morning After

**Author's Note:**

> Ingredients: 83% fluff, 14% real life considerations, 1,5% angst and 1,5% of unbidden memories. Contains no allergens. Warm up in a hot water bath and enjoy.  
> (Warning: Do not microwave.)

Maia woke slowly. His dream of walking on vaguely familiar, colorfully paved streets in the warm night rain dissipated, its darkness turned into the shadows of yesternight still filling his bedchamber. The thick curtains held them in, though it must have been around noon already, or later, even, and outside the sun was surely shining high. Maia felt himself unusually well-rested, alert yet lazily content. He opened his eyes and in the semi-darkness saw Csevet lying beside him, his skin and hair almost as white as the sheets. 

Maia watched him, his mind empty of thoughts: he let feelings and memories of touches, words, and pleasure wash over him in slow, rocking waves.  _ Yes, this is what happiness feels like.  _

After a time Csevet stirred, opened his eyes, frowned slightly, then blinked sleepily, as if he was not able to comprehend where he was and what he saw. His throat worked and Maia felt a cool shiver of alarm running through him and settling as dread in the pit of his stomach.  _ Now he will say he is sorry, it was a mistake, a terrible mistake and it must never be repeated.  _

But Csevet slowly smiled at him instead, and a dazzling shade of pink colored his cheeks.

"Good morning." Maia smiled, too, and lifted his hand to lightly caress that pinkness. "Hast slept well?"

"Very well indeed." Csevet smoothed his face into Maia's palm. "Spending the night in thy bed was just as enjoyable as I thought ‘twould be. Sleep included." 

Maia's mouth twitched into a surprised smile. "Are thy friends not missing thee yet?"

"No, probably not. I told them that I've found a patron."

"A... patron? As the keeper of a... of a..." Maia couldn't make himself say it out loud. 

"A whore? Yes."

"Was that... really necessary?"  _ Was that the truth? _

Csevet sighed. "I'm afraid so, yes. There were already rumors circulating about how I got and kept my job. Nothing unexpected, really, but now, if I'll be even less around than..."

"Nothing unexpected?" His own voice sounded strangled in Maia's ears. "Ah, yes, I understand. I still don't like the thought that thou art regarded like this, and now even more so because..." He trailed off again. The words,  _ because thou art my lover, _ remained stuck in his throat. 

"It's really not as serious as it sounds like." Csevet lifted his head and breathed a kiss onto Maia's lips. "Please, trust me on this."

_ I do. _ Maia's somewhat hesitant reply melted into another kiss, then another. It was different than before: they tasted each other unhurriedly, hands and eyes now discovering what the first night was too impatient to find. As Csevet's fingers glided over the scars on Maia's forearm, he looked up, puzzled.  _ Not now, _ Maia shook his head voicelessly; he had to concentrate to not let Setheris into the room, but then Csevet kissed along the thickest scar, eyes never leaving Maia's, and Setheris suddenly ceased to exist altogether.

Their explorations had turned quite eager already -- Csevet straddled Maia's hips and was trying to figure out just how sensitive Maia's nipples were -- when they became aware of the noises coming from the bathroom. A door opened and closed, soft shoes tapped on the floor, the low, mechanical whine of the pneumatic pump trailed through the pipes with the hot bathwater; then something small but metallic fell to the stone with a hollow  _ clang _ , spinning and rattling for long seconds before stopping. 

Csevet laughed silently. "Thine edocharei think it is time we got up."

"Is it? What is the clock?" Maia pushed himself up onto his elbow and put a steadying hand onto Csevet's arm as he leaned over the edge of the bed to fish for his watch among his clothes. When he finally found it, he frowned.

"They are right. It's half past noon. Hast luncheon in an hour, then a meeting with Lord Berenar, probably until dinner."

"Ah." Maia grimaced. "Yes, I remember, though right now I’d have preferred an thou hast forgotten that."

This earned him a smile and another kiss.

"Me, too, believe me. Hast not thought when he asked that thou wouldst rather stay in bed after such a long night. For whatever reason."

Maia sat up and reached up to start rebraiding his hair.

"In sooth, I have thought about it. I just never hoped. Now, come. There is still time for a bath if thou carest to share."

 

The bath was ready, warm and fragrant with oils -- and the edocharei were nowhere to be seen. Maia watched as Csevet walked into the bathing chamber, the stretch and relaxation of his muscles under the smooth skin, and felt his arousal return. 

Csevet settled into the back of the tub and extended his arms towards Maia. Maia dazedly followed, letting himself be arranged so that he was practically sitting on Csevet's lap between his pulled-up knees. He gripped the sides of the bath in fear of crushing Csevet; he could feel Csevet's cock, hard as before, nestling between his buttocks. 

_ I'm not going to break. I promise.  _ Maia let go of the edge and leaned back, letting his head fall  back onto Csevet's shoulder with a revealing sigh. 

"Mm, perfect." Csevet trailed kisses and small bites along Maia's jaw. His left hand slid over Maia's chest, to continue his explorations -- and his right hand curled around Maia's cockstand. Maia couldn't stop a moan escaping.

"Yes," murmured Csevet into Maia’s neck, just before his teeth grazed the skin. His hand worked Maia's shaft in a slow, steady rhythm, and Maia was suddenly submerged in pleasure. 

As Csevet's kisses and bites traveled upwards, Maia lifted his hand to seek Csevet's ears in return. "I want to touch thee, too." 

The words were almost lost in the fragrant steam around them. As a reply, Csevet tilted his hips forward and Maia felt Csevet’s cock slide deeper in between his buttocks. He tried to mirror the movement; Csevet gasped and his cock twitched unmistakably. 

It took a couple of tries but finally Maia found the angle where he could prop his leg against the other end of the tub and rock back slowly, deliberately.  _ Maybe another time, when not confined to a tub, we could try and do this properly... _

The thought was fearsomely arousing. Maia turned his head for a hungry kiss; he didn't know if he was setting the pace or following the rhythm of Csevet's hand on him but it didn't matter. Their gasps and moans dissolved in the sloshing around them; waves of water reached higher and higher, licking the rim of the tub, waves of pleasure grew stronger and stronger, turning the world silvery-white. Maia arched his spine to be able to push back even more, heedless now of crushing Csevet; he thrust into the hand on his cock, demanding, until he thought he couldn't take more -- then Csevet cried out, his cock spasmed hard, and his pleasure brought Maia over the edge, too. 

By the time the waves subsided, the bathwater was almost cold. Maia shivered. 

"We should dry ourselves," he sighed. 

"Yes," Csevet agreed but didn't move. 

"We both are going to be late."

"Yes."

"I'll miss luncheon."

"Absolutely not." Csevet pressed a last kiss onto Maia's neck, then nudged him a little. "Let me up. I'll dress, then go and send thine edocharei back to care for thee."

"Yes," Maia agreed but didn't move. 

"Maia." Csevet sounded amused; Maia laughed silently. 

"Yes." He sat up, though still unwillingly, and let Csevet extricate himself from under him. In the cool air he shivered again. "Wilt join me at luncheon?"

"No, I think it would be better if I had lunch below-stairs today. To smooth out rumors." Csevet grabbed a towel and dried himself with quick, effective movements.

"Ah. Yes. About thy  _ patron _ ." Maia heard the bitterness seeping into his voice. Csevet lowered the towel, looked at him, then stepped back to the tub to kiss him once more. 

"Not even thou canst change the world overnight, beloved. Give thyself a couple of decades."

Maia sighed but couldn't help smiling as his heart filled with warmth at the word  _ beloved.  _

"Art right," he admitted. "I trust thee on this."

_ Beloved; _ he tasted the word as Csevet finished drying himself and stepped back to the sleeping chamber to put on yesterday's costume but didn't say it. It was a word of nighttime, well-guarded doors and well-guarded secrets, and now daytime had caught up with them. 

He lay back in the lukewarm water, propped his head up on the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. A slow smile lingered on his lips as he listened to the noises from outside. There would be other nights.

 

**Author's Note:**

> We thank you for everything.


End file.
